Associate Prof. Robert Böhm Has Article Accepted by Psychological Science

Associate Prof. Robert Böhm has had an article that he has co-authored with Dr. David Buttelmann (University of Erfurt) accepted by the prestigious Psychological Science journal. An online version of the article is already available.

For the first time, the underlying motivations behind in-group bias and out-group derogation in early childhood are empirically investigated. The authors show that the motivation to favor one's own group develops prior to the motivation to derogate out-groups. It is not until they reach about the age of 8 years that children (boys in particular) are willing to discriminate against an out-group, whereas 6-year-olds are already showing favoritism towards their own group when it comes to allocating positive resources. This research finding holds key implications for the reduction of inter-group conflict in childhood.